Until dick in an emotional support truck runs you down while rage tweeting. Or a soccer mom driving a road-condo turns you to paste as she TikToks about how hard her life is.
And despite that, the reaction from some drivers is downright terrifying. I rode down Steeles between Markham and Pickering the other day... there are no shoulders, and you have to take the lane.
Except, you get truckers doing some aggressive shit with their motor/transmission as they creep closer behind you. Call it intimidation, or bullying, but you have to be a hardened cyclist to endure that kind of treatment, and the risk to your life is real.
Safer, yes. But it's like saying it's safer to jump from a plane at 5000 feet without a parachute than it is one that's 10,000 feet. LOL
To gather more votes from the majority of the electorate who drive into the city.
Bike lanes only serve those who live in Toronto and those people don't vote for these clowns anyways. Hell, even people who never drive where there are bike lanes will like this to give the middle finger to all the people who bike in the city.
My city, Oakland, is making the smart move of reducing lanes of traffic and putting physical barriers around the bike lanes in our downtown. Smart because downtown has been hollowed out post-pan, with lots of people wfh. Source: I live downtown.
For something like this it shouldn't be hard, we're just talking about the city approval, not the implementation. Like when Roosevelt created national parks the night before Congress was going to make it really hard to keep making them. He stayed up right to the last minute signing new parks into existence. That's the kind of malicious compliance we need to fight back.
They really need to educate cyclists in peel about bike lanes. My neighborhood and every street around it has bike lanes, yet I regularly get passed by bikes on the sidewalk as the road and bike lane sits empty. Those bikes zipping past me are just as scary to me as cars are to cyclists, so just use the bike lanes
I'm all for biking and reducing car lanes for bike lanes. But the original argument was being passed on the sidewalk (which bikes should not be on, even if there aren't bike lanes) when bike lanes are present right there.
Obviously getting hit by a car is so much worse. No one is debating that. Is this an example of a straw man argument?
Anyways, bikes should not be on the sidewalk and more bike lanes are a good thing.
When 2 tons of metal guided by tired humans that can barely see me while going twice my maximum speed less than a foot away from me is a "bike lane", I'd rather walk than risk death at far too early in the morning. Especially when that "bike lane" is broken up by parked cars.
At least give me a curb. A protected bike lane is the bare minimum I'd wager my life with, even with the danger of right hooks. Those cars could instantly kill entire families, and you want me to ride next to semi trucks, separated by paint?
Agreed. I've almost been "doored" at least a few times (although no bike lanes were on those streets), but even that can be fatal to a cyclist.
Obviously I try to look and see if someone is in the car and opening the door, but that "reach around" technique is there for a reason.
Sorry, I can't remember the name of it when you use your right hand to open the door (in the countries that drive on the right side) so you can see what's coming. But I like calling it the reach around.
Then walk! Don't risk your life. But don't stay on your bike and risk the life of pedestrians and cause then the same stress cars cause you when you're cycling. That's just inconsiderate. I live in an area filled with elderly people who can easily get killed by a cyclist crashing into them. You're scared to ride your bike even in the bike lane? Fine. Put the bike away and walk. Don't become the problem to someone else
I don't feel safe as a pedestrian, walking with my kids and having a jackass on a bike zip past us at high speeds. Why bitch that you want bike lanes then cry cause you're too scared to use them. Then fucking put the bike away. You're as dangerous to me on your bike as a car is to you. Inconsiderate fucks, and then you wonder why people hate cyclists in this city. You finally get the bike lanes and now you refuse to use them while continuing to bitch. Fuck.